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How many enemies can the N64 handle on screen at once?

 
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GoldeneyeGuru
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 PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2024 3:24 am    Post subject: How many enemies can the N64 handle on screen at once? Reply with quote Back to top

I'm trying (and failing so far) to get the Setup Editor working but I suspect that someone here has already tried the hack that I was thinking of anyway...do we know what the practical limit is of the amount of enemies that the N64 (i.e. not on emulation) can handle at once?

I'm sure you've seen these insane DOOM levels with loads of enemies:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Hx8RGxiPI

Has anyone tried putting loads of enemies on say the Runway level and see how many it takes for the console to crash?
 
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HackBond
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 PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2024 10:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

We have rough triangle counts for frame rates. I haven't tried actually flooding the game with guards. For reference, boiler suit trevelyan (the best comparison to a guard with a head I can think of) has 734 triangles.

Quote from Trevor
Quote:
F3D Optimum Throughput (1 Cycle Z-Less)

416 @ 60FPS 4p
555 @ 60FPS 3p
833 @ 60FPS 2p (4p @ 30FPS)
1,666 @ 60FPS (4P @ 15FPS)
3,333 @ 30FPS
6,666 @ 15FPS
14,285 @ 7FPS
25,000 @ 4FPS
50,000 @ 2FPS
100,000 @ 1FPS


GE throughput test results (with z-buffer)

1 Cycle
2048 = 20FPS - 3 (2.2) Frames (930 tris/frame)
5056 = 12 fps - 5 (4.2) Frames (1,203 Tris/frame)
11,200 = 6FPS - 9 (8.5) Frames (1,317 Tris/frame)

1 Cycle EnvMap
2048 = 20FPS - 3 (2.2) Frames (930 tris/frame)
5056 = 12 fps - 5 (4.3) Frames (1,175 Tris/Frame)
11,200 = 6FPS - 10 (9.1) Frames (1,230 Tris/frame)

2 Cycle
2048 = 20FPS - 3 (2.5) Frames (819 Tris/Frame)
5056 = 12 fps - 5 (4.5) Frames (1,123 Tris/Frame)
11,200 = 6FPS - 10 (9.2) Frames (1,217 Tris/Frame)

1,200*60 = 72,000 Triangles per second

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Wreck
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 PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2024 9:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

Besides the polygons currently being rendered, there are other processes going on with the AI. Enemies can easily start to bog down the performance when a cluster of them are actively on screen. In my personal opinion, I'd rather buff (within reason) the stats on a handful of guards, rather than flood the map with tons of them. I see a lot of enemy spam in mods, in a wide range of games.
 
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GoldeneyeGuru
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 PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2024 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

HackBond wrote:
We have rough triangle counts for frame rates. I haven't tried actually flooding the game with guards. For reference, boiler suit trevelyan (the best comparison to a guard with a head I can think of) has 734 triangles.

Quote from Trevor
Quote:
F3D Optimum Throughput (1 Cycle Z-Less)

416 @ 60FPS 4p
555 @ 60FPS 3p
833 @ 60FPS 2p (4p @ 30FPS)
1,666 @ 60FPS (4P @ 15FPS)
3,333 @ 30FPS
6,666 @ 15FPS
14,285 @ 7FPS
25,000 @ 4FPS
50,000 @ 2FPS
100,000 @ 1FPS


GE throughput test results (with z-buffer)

1 Cycle
2048 = 20FPS - 3 (2.2) Frames (930 tris/frame)
5056 = 12 fps - 5 (4.2) Frames (1,203 Tris/frame)
11,200 = 6FPS - 9 (8.5) Frames (1,317 Tris/frame)

1 Cycle EnvMap
2048 = 20FPS - 3 (2.2) Frames (930 tris/frame)
5056 = 12 fps - 5 (4.3) Frames (1,175 Tris/Frame)
11,200 = 6FPS - 10 (9.1) Frames (1,230 Tris/frame)

2 Cycle
2048 = 20FPS - 3 (2.5) Frames (819 Tris/Frame)
5056 = 12 fps - 5 (4.5) Frames (1,123 Tris/Frame)
11,200 = 6FPS - 10 (9.2) Frames (1,217 Tris/Frame)

1,200*60 = 72,000 Triangles per second


Ah now that's interesting!

So the optimum approach would be:

1. Find an enemy model with the fewest polygons.

2. Construct a test level that has the fewest polygons possible as well. Basically an empty 'box'.

That could be an interesting test to run IMO.
 
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GoldeneyeGuru
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 PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2024 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

Wreck wrote:
Besides the polygons currently being rendered, there are other processes going on with the AI. Enemies can easily start to bog down the performance when a cluster of them are actively on screen. In my personal opinion, I'd rather buff (within reason) the stats on a handful of guards, rather than flood the map with tons of them. I see a lot of enemy spam in mods, in a wide range of games.


Yes absolutely - I suspect the AI overhead is probably as taxing on the system if not moreso than worrying about small differences in polygon count.

I'm trying to think what is the maximum number of enemies I see on screen at once time anywhere in the 'normal' game...Ouroumov's guards at the end of Facility and/or the endless spawning at the end of Facility can result in a higher than normal number of guards on screen but it's probably never even as high as 10 at once.

I seem to remember the 'defend Natalya' section in Control grinds to a halt at times but that's quite a sophisticated level to render I guess once the glass has smashed and you've to render what's behind it as well as the guards.

I suspect that under 'perfect' conditions the N64 would still struggle to render 20 guards never mind 100. I'm sure with emulation we could get some crazy number being rendered.
 
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Lazlo52
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Posts: 333
Location: N.J.

 PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 10:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote Back to top

The calculations involved with guards being alive is definitely the biggest hit to performance, at least as far as I've seen personally. The difference between 18 walking around on screen and 18 dead on screen is a difference of an unplayable framerate and a decently playable framerate.

I think the highest amount of guards you can get vanilla-wise comes from turning on invincibility and trying to corral everyone into the same few rooms. The game tries to prevent that, though, by forcing some to lose track of you.
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